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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Water Management and Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #238392
Title: Identification of resonance waves in open water channels

Author
item VANH OVERLOOP, P - Delft University Of Technology
item MILTENBURG, I - Delft University Of Technology
item BOMBOIS, X - Delft University Of Technology
item Clemmens, Albert
item Strand, Robert
item VAN DE GIESEN, N - Delft University Of Technology
item HUT, R - Delft University Of Technology

Submitted to: Control Engineering Practice
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2010
Publication Date: 4/14/2010
Citation: Vanh Overloop, P.J., Miltenburg, I.J., Bombois, X., Clemmens, A.J., Strand, R.J., Van De Giesen, N.C., Hut, R. 2010. Identification of resonance waves in open water channels. Control Engineering Practice. 18(8):863-872.

Interpretive Summary: Irrigation canal automation can help some water districts improve their operations and thus, conserve water. The ability of the automation to control a canal is dependent upon the properties of the canal – specifically, how changes in the rate of flow upstream influence flows and water levels downstream. This paper presents a procedure to determine these canal properties, as they apply to the design of automatic controls. This paper deals, in particular, with resonance waves that travel up and down a canal, complicating standard automation methods. A new simplified model structure is proposed. The model was tested on a lateral canal at the Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District, Eloy, AZ. It was shown that the procedure provides a good model of the canal dynamics. The research will be of interest to irrigation district consultants and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Technical Abstract: This article presents a procedure to determine the characteristics of open water channels required for controller and filter design, with special focus on the resonance waves. Also, a new simplified model structure for open water channels is proposed. The procedure applies System Identification tools and is tested on an actual channel at the Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District, Eloy, AZ. The identification procedure results in realistic estimations of the frequency and magnitude of the first resonance peak of the open water channels.